Category: 2022 NFL draft

East-West Shrine Bowl moved, now part of Pro Bowl week

East-West Shrine Bowl moved, now part of Pro Bowl week:

The East-West Shrine Bowl, the annual college football all-star game, has been moved.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the game has teamed up with the NFL and the date and location of the yearly contest has been switched up.

The game will be moved to Las Vegas and will now be part of the 2022 Pro Bowl week, which is the NFL’s yearly all-star game:

The East-West Shrine Bowl has traditionally been an opportunity for college players to showcase themselves to NFL teams prior to each year’s draft. The most recent one was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the game dates back to 1925.

With the moving of the Shrine Bowl game, the contest is now slated to be played three days prior to the 2022 Pro Bowl. Both games will be played at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders.

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Houston Texans 2022 NFL draft target: South Carolina DE Kingsley Enagbare

If the Houston Texans are looking for an edge defender, South Carolina DE Kingsley Enagbare is a name they should keep in mind.

Edge defense is a long-term question mark for the Houston Texans, and it would have been that way even if the club elected to retain three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt.

With the club shifting to a Tampa 2 scheme with a 4-3 front, the Texans have to change up what they are looking for in an edge defender. For 2021, outside linebackers Whitney Mercilus, Jonathan Greenard, and Jacob Martin will line up in three-point stances along with Shaq Lawson.

However, the Texans may need to find better answers at defensive end going forward.

Enter South Carolina defensive end Kingsley Enagbare. The senior from Atlanta, Georgia, earned all-SEC first-team last season with 6.0 sacks, 7.0 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles through eight games. Enagbare is the second-best edge defender in Pro Football Focus’ early 2022 NFL draft rankings.

Enagbare is a violent 6-foot-4, 260-pound edge rusher who can win with quicks or pure power. He was one of the biggest breakout performers in the SEC last season, going from a 68.4 pass-rushing grade in 2019 to 89.2 in 2020.

Aside from the obvious physical tools Enagbare possesses, his biggest selling point is simply the way he plays the game. The defensive end plays with his hair on fire snap after snap, and it’s not uncommon to see him tracking down quarterbacks outside the pocket or downfield.

We only got to see eight games out of him in 2020, so he’s a player we need to see more of to be truly sold. Enagbare is only scratching the surface of what he can be with more consistency.

The Texans could find themselves in a position where they take a quarterback with a top-5 pick, and still have a top-5 pick in the second round. If Enagbare slips that far, the Texans should consider taking him to provide youth and talent to their defensive line.

Would the Texans be able to protect Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler?

Draft experts have linked Oklahoma QB Spencer Rattler to the Houston Texans for the 2022 NFL draft. Would the Texans even be able to protect him?

Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler and the Houston Texans seem to be on a collision course.

Rattler is slated to be one of the top quarterback prospects after he completes another stellar season with the Sooners. The Texans could be in a position to draft him with their first-round pick as Houston could be the NFL equivalent of the Washington Generals for 17 games.

If the Texans were to draft Rattler, would they be able to get the best out of the former Phoenix Pinnacle High School product, or would he be the new Sam Darnold?

According to Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com, one area where Rattler needs improvement is following through on his drops.

Where he needs to improve: Rattler has a bad habit of drifting at the top of his drop. He floats himself into unnecessary pressure and, at times, just falls off throws for no reason, decreasing his accuracy. I love his ability to extend plays, but when he has clean pockets, he needs to grind his cleats into the ground and deliver accurate footballs. His pocket awareness against the blitz is another area where he needs to improve. Hopefully that will come with more game reps and experience.

The Texans’ offensive line as a unit hasn’t exactly been the best at pass protection, and this is even with two-time Pro Bowler Laremy Tunsil playing left tackle. In 2019, the Texans allowed the eighth-most sacks in the league with 49. In 2020, the Texans were tied for the second-most with 50.

If Rattler struggles in the pocket at the pro level, then teams will know that the secret to neutralizing him is keeping him from escaping outside, which is a more attainable goal for an NFL defense than it is for a college defense.

The fall will reveal what the Texans will need to do at quarterback.

Is Jeff Garcia the NFL ceiling for Spencer Rattler?

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah sees an intriguing pro comparison for Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler

Every year, one of the favorite pastimes of NFL draft analysts is trying to find pro player comparisons for the next class of top college prospects. Sometimes, those comparisons jump out immediately. Other times, it takes a little more digging, and even then it can be difficult to find the right fit.

The latter seems to be the case for Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, who has NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah grasping for a player in the recent past who mirrors Rattler’s skill set in a significant way.

Jeremiah eventually landed on Jeff Garcia as a potential ceiling for Rattler:

This is a difficult one to find. I don’t see any obvious comparisons for Rattler. My hope is that he will turn himself into a Jeff Garcia type of player in the NFL. Garcia lacked the ideal size/frame, but he made things happen with his accuracy, mobility and playmaking skills. I do think Rattler has that potential. When he plants his feet, he’s very accurate. And he has the athleticism to make the off-schedule plays that allowed Garcia to flourish during his time in the pros. Rattler’s not there yet, but I can envision the 20-year-old eventually arriving at that level of play.

Rattler is widely regarded as potentially the top quarterback prospect in the nation, which could put him in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft.

The big question for NFL teams will be, does a prospect with Garcia as a best-case scenario for his development warrant that high of a selection?

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New Draft Wire mock goes all offense for the Steelers

This two-round mock draft gives the Steelers a new starting quarterback.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a ton of roster moves this offseason with an eye to the future. Most of those have been on the offensive side of the football. But according to our friends over at Draft Wire, when the 2022 NFL draft rolls around, the Steelers are going to stick to the offense for the rebuild.

Draft Wire just put out a brand new two-round mock draft and they have the Steelers taking Nevada quarterback Carson Strong in the first round and Washington State offensive tackle Abraham Lucas in the second.

Strong is an interesting guy. He’s very efficient with the football, shows excellent accuracy, especially on his deep throws and has adequate NFL size. I want to see him work through his progressions more this season and he offers no threat at all as a runner or scrambler.

Lucas in the second round is a solid choice. He was wise to return to school this season and it should help him tremendously in terms of draft stock. If he can build on a solid 2020 campaign, this would be a smart pick for a team in dire need of offensive tackle help.

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Titans address defensive line in Draft Wire’s latest 2022 mock

The Titans could be looking for defensive line help in the 2022 NFL draft.

The Tennessee Titans still have a long 2021 season ahead of them, especially now that there’s a 17th game on the schedule. However, Draft Wire is already looking ahead to next year, and more specifically, the 2022 NFL draft.

Luke Easterling shared his latest two-round projections, but of course the Titans only had one selection after sending their 2022 second-rounder to the Atlanta Falcons as part of the package that landed wide receiver Julio Jones.

With their first-round pick, Easterling has the Titans taking Oklahoma defensive lineman Perrion Winfrey with the No. 22 overall pick.

The 6-foot-3, 297-pound lineman played in nine games for the Sooners in 2020, totaling 17 tackles (5.5 for loss), 0.5 sacks and three passes defensed. He likely could play either nose tackle or end in Tennessee’s 3-4 defense.

Tennessee going defensive line early on in 2022 is certainly a possibility.

While two spots up front appear to be locked down for at least the next few seasons thanks to Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry, the Titans are still trying to figure out who will play next to them in 2021 and beyond.

After the Titans and DaQuan Jones parted ways, Tennessee is left with a competition to replace his snaps between 2020 UDFA Teair Tart, 2020 fifth-round pick Larrell Murchison, and veteran free-agent signing, Abry Jones.

The jury is still out on if any of those three players can make enough of a dent to stick around for the long haul, but if they can’t Tennessee might be looking for help up front sooner rather than later in next year’s draft.

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Giants select OL Kenyon Green, QB Desmond Ridder in PFN’s 2022 mock

The New York Giants select OL Kenyon Green and QB Desmond Ridder in Pro Football Network’s latest 2022 NFL mock draft.

Is it too early for a 2022 NFL mock draft? Well… yes, but here we are anyway, covering a mock for a draft that’s almost a full year away.

Pro Football Network recently released their latest 2022 mock draft and they have the New York Giants keeping and using both of their first-round picks (the second acquired in a draft day trade with the Chicago Bears).

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With their first pick, PFN has the Giants selecting Texas A&M guard Kenyon Green.

Thanks to their trade with the Chicago Bears in the 2021 NFL Draft, the New York Giants are in an excellent position to alter the franchise’s fortunes dramatically. In this 2022 NFL Mock Draft, they hold two top 10 selections, a sign that sticking with Daniel Jones for another year maybe didn’t work out all that well. Of course, the natural assumption is that they’d use this selection on a quarterback, but we all know what assumptions do.

The 2022 NFL Draft quarterback class contains a lot of uncertainty at this point. Although the Giants will get a new signal-caller shortly, there isn’t a prospect that necessitates them running up to the podium here. However, in offensive lineman Kenyon Green, there is.

They need to address the offensive line, and, for me, Green is comfortably the best offensive lineman in the class. He’ll play tackle for Texas A&M this year, but he’s an elite interior lineman. Wherever he lines up for the Giants, he will automatically upgrade the line.

Considering PFN gets to pick and choose where the Giants select in this mock draft (they chose Vegas odds), the argument that “picking here means Daniel Jones failed” holds no real water. It’s just a subjective assumption made by the author and some bookies.

That being said, the selection of Green makes sense. The Giants are arguably the weakest along their offensive line and specifically at guard. But again, we won’t know that for sure until nearly a year from now.

Next up, as PFN previously alluded and seemed in a rush to get to, the Giants select a Daniel Jones replacement with a near-carbon copy: Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder.

The Giants are all in on Daniel Jones — apparently. Their moves in the draft and free agency have set the third-year quarterback up for success. The addition of Kenny Golladay and Kadarius Toney offers Jones the best wide receiver room he’s had so far. As a result, there are no excuses. There has to be success this season. Picking twice in the top 10 would suggest that success is absent from the 2021 Giants.

Cincinnati’s Desmond Ridder gives the Giants an exciting alternative to Jones. Yes, there are some accuracy issues that he needs to iron out. But when you combine the prototypical height of an NFL quarterback with a mesmerizing ability to create plays outside of the pocket, Ridder provides an intriguing potential replacement. He’ll likely compete at the Senior Bowl too, where winning the MVP award would practically guarantee him being drafted by the Giants.

The 6-foot-4 Ridder does have prototypical height. So does the 6-foot-5 Jones. And yes, Ridder does have an ability to create plays outside of the pocket. So does Jones.

PFN doesn’t hide that they’re not fans of Jones, so absorb this analysis with a grain of salt.

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Cardinals land TE, CB in new very early 2022 mock draft

It is only June but let’s see what players could be potential 2022 NFL draft picks for the Arizona Cardinals.

The 2021 NFL season is still months away and so is the 2021 college football season. However, we have ridiculous projections for the 2022 NFL draft.

These aren’t really predictions, but more of a way to see which players will be relevant in the coming season.

Draft Wire managing editor Luke Easterling’s new mock draft for 2022 goes two rounds.

The Arizona Cardinals land a tight end and a cornerback with their selections.

They have the 18th overall pick based on current Super Bowl odds. If that is the reality in 2022, it means the Cardinals will have been the best team in the league to not make the playoffs, which would be a big disappointment.

Who are the picks and what is there to know about them? Read on.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.

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Finding a comparison for Alabama OT Evan Neal

See who NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah compares with Alabama offensive tackle prospect Evan Neal

The NFL has become accustomed to seeing blue-chip prospects at every position coming out of Tuscaloosa, and their top talent in next year’s draft class appears to be offensive tackle Evan Neal.

Widely regarded as the top prospect in the nation at his position, Neal is a massive blocker who could end up being a top-five selection in the 2022 NFL draft.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah recently broke down Neal’s game in an early scouting report, and he had some trouble finding a modern comparison for what the Crimson Tide prospect brings to the table, eventually landing on former Chargers tackle Marcus McNeill:

I couldn’t find a more current comp for Neal. I see some similarities to Orlando Brown, but Neal is a little quicker while Brown plays with better balance and patience. McNeill was an enormous tackle coming out of Auburn. He wasn’t an ideal bender, but he had foot quickness and understood how to use his long arms to keep defenders off his chest. He had a very solid six-year run as a left tackle in San Diego, making a pair of Pro Bowls for the Chargers. I see Neal more as a right tackle, but some teams might give him a shot on the left side.

Neal has the size, athleticism and physicality to be a dominant blocker on either side of the line, and a strong 2021 campaign could lock him in as the top player at his position in next year’s draft class.

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Breece Hall is a big problem for opposing defenses

Iowa State’s Breece Hall led all Power 5 running backs in multiple categories last year, and he’s primed to do the same in 2021

If your favorite NFL team will be looking to add a dynamic running back in the 2022 NFL draft, Iowa State’s Breece Hall should be high on their priority list heading into the 2021 college football season.

Hall proved to be a big challenge for opposing defenses last year, leading all Power 5 running backs in touchdowns, first-down runs, missed tackles forced, and runs of 15 yards or more (per Pro Football Focus).

A well-rounded prospect with a solid blend of speed and power, Hall has a three-down skill set and the versatility to fit in any offensive scheme. With another strong campaign in 2021, he could easily find himself in the first-round conversation, and potentially be the first running back off the board.

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